Locking key for brake shoes



Nov..- 27, 1923.

$- A- CRQNE LOCKING KEY FOR BRAKE SHOES Filed Feb. 16, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 27, 1923. 1,475,282

S. A. CRONE LOCKING KEY FOR BRAKE SHOES Filed Feb. 16, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE NTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 27, 1923.

tlhl-i'l ila) STATES 'sErrr A. oaoN or EAST oEANGE, NEW JEEsEY.

LOCKING KEY FOR BRAKE SHOES.

Application filed February 16, 1922. Serial No. 536,843.

To all in 1: am it may concern Be it known that I, SETH. A. CRoNE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looking Keys for Brake Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in railway-car brakes, and it pertains more particularly to novel keys for locking the brake-shoes to the brake-heads in such manner as to prevent the accidental loss of'the keys due to the jarring of a train and more especially when a car is inverted to discharge its load. The locking keys of my invention are applicable to brake heads and shoes of standard construction and do not call for or necessitate any change in the known and commonly used brake heads and shoes but have been specially designed for use therewith. The locking keys of my invention while safe against accidental loss from the brake heads and shoes, may nevertheless be withdrawn to permit the detachment of a worn shoe and its replacement by a new shoe.

The locking-key of my invention is in one integral piece and of the usual standard curved shape and general proportions and has formed in its lowerthinner portion a hump or projection bent outwardly from the face thereof and inthe preferred construction disposed below thelower head-lug and extending from the concave face of the key, in position to engage said lug on any action tending to displace the key from the brake head. The humpor. projection may be variously formed. but I preferably slit the keyon two parallel lines to form a narrow strip or tongue from which the hump, is formed, said hump forming a cam-likeprojection having a curved apex and sloping upper and lower outwardly converging The key having the projection or sides. hump thereon ma be driven through the attaching lugs ont e head and shoe and will, when the key is in position, resist outward movement of the key'through said lugs to such degree that the key will notlose its position due to the jarring of a train or the inversion of a car, butwill yield to definitely .applied' force intended to detach the key from the brake head and shoe. In some modified forms of my invention I will form the hump or projection :to extend outwardly from the convex side of thesho'e so that the.

key will become arrested atthe brake shoe lug on thejarring of a train or the inversion of a car tending to displace the key.

The invention will be readily understood .from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in central vertical section, of a brake shoe head, .brake shoe and locking key embodying my invention, the several parts being shown in their normal assembled relation;

Fig, 2 is a side elevation of the locking key detached from the brake-head;

Fig. 3 is a rear projection of the locking Fig. 2;

Figs. 4 and 5 are views corresponding with Figs; 2 and'3, of a slightly modified construction'of locking key embodying my invention; 1

Fig. 6 isa side elevation, partly in central vertical section, of a brake shoe head, brake shoe and locking key embodying a portion of my invention,- the key being of modified construction from that shown in Figs. 4 and 5 in respect to the direction of the outwardly bowing of a portion of the key to provide the locking projection thereon;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, partly broken away and partly in section, of the locking key presented in Fig. 6

Fig. 8 is a rear projection of the same taken from-the right handside of Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a view corresponding with Fig. 7 of a key slightly modified from the construction shown in Fig. 7, and

Fig. v10 is a rear projectionof-the samev taken from the right hand side) of Fig. 9.

In the drawings, referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 10 designates the brake-head, 1-1 the brake-shoe, and 12.the locking key of my invention, said head having the usual at taching lugs 13, 14' and said shoe having an attaching. lug 15 adapted to pass between the head-lugs 13, 14, as usual, and formed key passes. The head 10 and shoe 11' are of well-known standard construction, and the key 12 is also of standard construction with the exception of the features thereof embodying my invention. The key 12- passes downwardly behind the. lugs; 13, 14 and through the slot 16 of the'lug 15, as usual.

The key 12 is formed in its lower portion key taken from the right hand side of vwithrthe usual slot 16 through which the v and to pass below the head-lug 14, with a projecting bend or hump 17 which, when the key is in place, extends belowthe lug 14 in a position to strike said lug on any outward movement of the key from its normal operative position shown in Fig. 1 and thereby arrest the key except when positive force is applied to the key for its removal from the brake-head The bend or hump 17 projects outwardly from the concave side of the locking key and normally stands at some considerable distance below the lug 14, and said bend or hump 17 may be variouslyfo-rmed, two preferable ways of producing the same being shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 1 form the hump or projection 17 by slitting the key longitudinally on two parallel lines, as at 18, to form an interior strip or tongue 19 and bending outwardly from the concave surface of the key a portion of said strip or tongue to create the hump or projection 17, which hump has a rounded apex surface and inclined or sloping upper and lower sides, as shown. 'The hump or projection 17 disposed in the lower thinner portion of the key and having upper and lower sloping sides, is of particular advantage in the matter of securing the key against accidental displacement and in permitting the insertion of the key to position and its withdrawal therefrom under properly applied force. hen the key 12 is inserted downwardly to secure the shoe 11 to the head 10, the hump'or projection 17 at its lower sloping side will strike the'lug 13 and being in the thinner portion of the key and toward the lower end thereof, the key may flex outwardly at its upper portion in the throat 20 of the head to allow the hump or projection 17 to pass said lug 13 and enter the slot 16 of the shoe-lug 15, which has a reasonably free space for the passage of said hump or projection. When the lower sloping side of the hump or projection 17 on the downward passage of the key meets the upper edge of the lug 14 and is driven by said lug, the lower thinner portion of the key flexes outwardly into the abundant space found in the lower throat 21 of the head 10, and thence the hump or projection passes below the lug 14 and beneath said lug by the return of the lower portion of the key to its normal from its flexed condition. The key 12 will not slip from the head and shoe except under definitely applied force to attain that end, and on the withdrawal of the key the upper sloping side of the hump or projection 17 will strike the lower edge of the lug 14 and the lower end of the key will be flexed into the throat 21, thereby allowing the hump or projection to'pass said lug and enter the slot 16 of the lug 15. When the hump or projection 17 is forcibly moved upwardly along the lug 13, the upper portion of the key may flex into the throat 20.

The embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5 differs from that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 in freeing the lower end of the strip or tongue from which the hump or projection is formed. In Figs. 4 and 5 the key is numbered 22, the stripor tongue 23 and the hump or projection thereon 24, and said strip or tongue is formed by slitting the key as at 25, the slits 25 corresponding with the slits 18 of Fig. 3. 1 free the lower end of the strip or tongue 23 by a transverse cut 26 running into the lower ends of the slits 25. In applying the key 22, the lower end of the strip or tongue 25 will enter the lug 15 before the hump or projection 25 is said strip or tongue will not at its lower end strike the upper edge of the lug 15 and prevent the convenient positioning of the key. When during the positioning of the ke the hump or projection meets and is moved against the lug 14, the strip or tongue 23 may flex outwardly into the throat 21 and thus the hump or projection 24 may pass downwardly along the lug 14 and thereafter move beneath said lug, the springing action of the strip or tongue 23 at this time relieving the lower portion of the key from the extent of flexing action it has when the strip or tongue is held rigidly at both ends, as in Fig. 3, and this same advantage being also gained during the withdrawal of the key when the lug'r24 strikes the lower edge of the lug 14. 1

With the exception of freeing the lower end of the strip or tongue 23 at the cut 26, the key shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is the same as the key shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The head and shoe shown in Fig. 6 are numbered the same as the like parts illus trated in Fig. l. v

The key shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 is the same in construction as the key shown in Figs. 4 and 5 with the exception that the hump or projection 27 on the strip or tongue 28 thereof is bowed outwardly from the convex face of the key and positioned higher up than the hump or projection 24 of Figs. 4 and 5. The parallel slits 29 for the strip or head-plug 14, as in the constructions shown. in Flgs. 1 to 5 inclusive. The strip or tongue 28 is made of suitable length so that the lower end thereof may pass down through the shoe-lug 15 before the hump or projection 27 engages said lug and thus be prevented from striking the upper end of the lug 14 which it might otherwise do when the hump or projection 27 engages the lug l5 and said lug tends to flex the strip or tongue 28. v

The key shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is the same as the key shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, with th exception that the hump or projection 31 thereof is on a strip or tongue 32 which is integral with the key at bot-h ends, being formed between parallel slits 33. The hump-or projection 31 protrudes from the convex face of the key, as does the hump or projection 27 of Figs. 6, 7 and 8 and for the same purpose, instead of from the concave face of the key from which the humps or projections shown in Figs. 1 to 5 extend.

In all the keys embodying features of my invention hereinbefore described, the key is of known construction with the exception that a portion of the lower more slender and yieldable part thereof is bowed or displaced outwardly to form a facial projecting hump adapted to pass through the lugs, and preferably this hump is formed from about the middle portion of an elongated strip or tongue and has sloping upper and lower surfaces serving to facilitate the .passage of the key through the head and shoe lugs. In the preferred construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the hump projects or is bowed outwardly from the concave face of the key and becomes disposed below the lower head-lug, and in the other constructions shown the hump projects from the convex face of the key and becomes disposed below the shoe-lug. In the constructions in which the hump is formed on a strip or tongue which is free at its lower end (Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive), a considerable portion of the strip or tongue extends below the hump and serves as a special pilot facilitating the positioning of the key, as will be understood from the fore- 7 going description.

am aware of other modified forms of my invention and hence do not limit my invention to all the specific details hereinbefore recited otherwise than the appended claims may require.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A brakeshoe key of curved type having a transverse portion of the lower part thereof bowed outwardly from the concave face of the key to pass below and project beneath the lower brake-head lug for preventing accidental loss of the key, said outwardly bowed portion presenting smooth outwardly converging surfaces.

2. A brake-sh0e key of curved type adapted to standard brake-shoe heads and brakeshoes, said key having a transverse hump or projection extending outwardly from the concave face of the lower portion thereof to pass below and become projected beneath the lower brake-heading, said hump having a curved apex and sloping upper and lower sides.

3. A brake-shoe key of curved type'having a transverse portion of the lower part thereof bowed outwardly from the concave face of the key and between the side edges there of to pass below and project beneath the lower break-head lug for preventing accidental loss of the key, said outwardly bowed portion presenting smooth outwardly converging surfaces. 7

4. A brake-shoe key of curved type adapted to standard brake-shoe heads and brakeshoes and having its lower portion slit vertically to form an elongated vertical strip or tongue a portion of which is bowed outwardly from the concave faccof the key at a point to pass below and become projected beneath the lower brake-head lug for preventing accidenta-l loss of the key, said outwardly bowed portion presenting smooth outwardly converging surfaces. I

5. A brake-shoe key of curved type adapted to standard brake-shoe heads and brake shoes and having its lower portion slit vertically to form an elongated vertical strip or tongue whose middle portion is bowed outwardly from the concave face of the key to form a hump to pass below and become projected beneath the lower brake-head lug, said hump having a curved apex and sloping upper and lower sides.

'6. A brake-shoe key of curved type adapted to standard brake-shoe heads and brake shoes and having its lower portion slit Ver tically to form an elongated vertical strip. or tongue 2. portion of which is bowed outwardly from the concave face of the key at a point to pass below and become projected beneath the lower brake-head lug, the upper end .of said strip or tongue being integral with the key and the lower end thereof be ing free.

7. A brake-shoe key of curved type having on the concave face of the lower part thereof a hump or projection to pass below and become projected beneath the lower brakehead lug for preventing accidental loss of the key, said hump presenting upper and lower smooth outwardly converging surfaces.

8. A brake-shoe key of curved type adapted tostandard brake-shoeheads and brakeshoes and having on the concave face of the lower part thereof a hump or projection to pass below and become projected beneath the lower brake-head lug, said hump or projection having a convex apex and sloping upper and lower sides.

9. A brake-shoe key of curved type having its lower portion slit vertically to form an elongated vertical strip or tongue whose middle portion is bowed outwardly from the concave face of the key to form a pr0jecting hump to resist accidental loss of the key from the brake-head and shoe, said outward- 1y bowed portion presenting smooth upper and lower outwardly converging surfaces.

10. A brake-shoe key of curved type hav ing its lower portion slit vertically to form an elongated vertical strip or tongue a portion of which is bowed outwardly from the concave face of the key to form a projecting hump to resist accidental loss of the key from the brake-head and shoe, said strip or tongue being free below its upper end which is integral with the key, and the lower portion thereof being extended considerably below said hump to serve as a pilot facilitating the positioning of the key, and said outwardly bowed portion presenting smooth upper and lower outwardly converging surfaces si ned at New York city, in the county of ew York and State of New York, this 15th day of February, A. D. 1922.

SETH A. CRONE. 

